‘Casually jaw-dropping’: at an Edinburgh fringe of tricks and treats, Ben Hart has the magic touch

The sense of wonder never wavers in Hart’s charming ‘best of’ set, a fringe favourite in a year of crowd-pleasing card work, mentalism and a hidden-squirrel routineMagic is addictive. The more you see, the higher the bar rises, but the itch to be astounded is never scratched. A handful of magicians at the Edinburgh fringe have audiences queueing around the block, but there are more than 100 to take a punt on, in the hope that the next show might be the one to blow you away.In an unglamorous venue, Andrew Frost’s tricks are not flashy and there are no dramatic lighting changes. But the tricks are phenomenally well controlled. Frost is a former woodwork teacher, and you can envisage him winning over a class of reluctant teenagers. He admits an hour-long show of card tricks isn’t the sexiest draw, but his unserious attitude and impressive sleight of hand easily keep the audience entertained. As soon as you think you might know what or where a certain card is, he is five steps ahead and your certainty disintegrates. Continue reading...

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